3rd Annual Trial Methodology Symposium 2017

Please see below for our overview video, photos and session recordings, which provide a wealth of information.

Date: 20th October, 2017

Venue: Radisson Blu, St. Helens, Dublin.

Theme: Transparency in Trials

Registration: Now Closed

Guest Speakers

Dr Mairead O’Driscoll – Interim CEO HRB

Mairéad O’Driscoll is the Director of Research Strategy and Funding at the Health Research Board (HRB), the lead funding agency in Ireland for health and social care research. Before being appointed Director of Funding, she was Head of Policy, Evaluation and External Relations at the HRB. She worked as a researcher in academia and the biotechnology industry before moving into policy research, first with the Royal Society in London and then with the Wellcome Trust. She also spent time in South Africa where she worked on the development of a national research and technology foresight study. She is a member of several national and international groups and is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and the University of London. Watch video here.

Dr Sandra Galvin – HRB-TMRN Programme Manager

Dr Sandra Galvin is the coordinator for the HRB-TMRN and is based in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Ireland Galway. Sandra graduated with a PhD in Bacteriology in 2010 from NUI Galway, after which she worked as a postdoctoral researcher the Department of Clinical Microbiology in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in Dublin. In 2012 Sandra joined an interdisciplinary team at the Discipline of General Practice, NUI Galway as a Research Fellow working on a behaviour change intervention to improve antimicrobial prescribing by GPs in the community. Dr Galvin has published over 19 peer-reviewed papers and her interests include publicising research findings through social media and creating community awareness around the importance of clinical trials. Sandra is heavily involved in developing trial methodology research and oversees the strategic development and management of the HRB-TMRN. Watch video here.

Dr Richard Morey – Cardiff University

Richard Morey is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the Cardiff University. In 2008, he earned a PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience and a Masters degree in Statistics from the University of Missouri. He is the author of over 50 articles and book chapters, and in 2011 he was awarded the Netherlands Research Organization Veni Research Talent grant Innovational Research Incentives Scheme grant for work in cognitive psychology. His work spans cognitive science, where he develops and critiques statistical models of cognitive phenomena; statistics, where he is interested in the philosophy of statistical inference and the development of new statistical tools for research use; and the practical side of science, where he is interested in increasing openness in scientific methodology. Watch video here.

Dr Síle Lane – Director of Campaigns and Policy Sense about Science

Síle is head of international campaigns and policy, leading our current campaigns which include AllTrials, a global campaign for the registration and reporting of all clinical trials and Ask for Evidence, a public campaign to help people request for themselves the evidence behind news stories, marketing claims and policies. Síle was one of the original founders of the AllTrials campaign, alongside Ben Goldacre, growing it from a simple petition to a high profile, worldwide campaign. In 2016 she gave the keynote speech at TEDxMadrid, “The Hidden side of Clinical Trials”. Síle previously worked on the Libel Reform campaign which called for reform of the libel laws to protect open scientific discussion. The groundswell of support for the campaign led to the passing of the Defamation Act 2013 that changed the law in England and Wales. Watch video here.

Dr Trish Groves – University College Dublin

Between joining The BMJ as its first editorial registrar (intern) in 1989 and leaving in 2018 Trish Groves (MBBS, MRCPsych) was a deputy editor and head of research on The BMJ, editor in chief of BMJ Open, director of academic outreach for BMJ, and editorial lead for elearning programme BMJ Research to Publication. She is now an associate editor for The BMJ and is on the advisory board of BMJ Open Science. While at BMJ Trish played a part in many groups including the International Peer Review Expert Panel for CIHR (the Canadian Institutes of Health Research), COPE (the Committee on Publication Ethics), the EQUATOR Network, AllTrials, the CORBEL-ECRIN group on clinical trial data sharing, and the International Peer Review Congress. She helped to develop many research reporting guidelines including the CONSORT 2010 Statement on randomised controlled trials. And she taught as guest faculty on postgraduate courses for Oxford University, The MRC (UK Medical Research Council), and Nova University in Lisbon. Watch video here.

Dr Teresa Maguire – Department of Health

Dr Teresa Maguire is Head of the Research Services Unit in the Department of Health. Previously, she worked as Head of Population Health & Health Services Research in the Health Research Board. After completing a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology at University College Dublin, Teresa went on to complete a PhD at the Clinical Pharmacology Department in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, Scotland. She then returned to Ireland to work as a postdoctoral research fellow with the Department of Surgery at St Vincent’s University Hospital. Subsequently, Dr Maguire worked for a number of years as Director of Scientific Affairs in Ireland for a multinational pharmaceutical company before joining the HRB. Watch video here.